Rancho Dominguez-based UTi Worldwide Inc., said it plans to acquire through separate transactions majority stakes in Transclal Ltd. and Newlog Ltd., a pair of Israel-based freight forwarding companies.

The company intends to buy a 51 percent stake in Transclal from Mordechai Friedman, the company’s chief executive and majority shareholder, for about $20 million.

Terms of UTi’s intended stake in Newlog, a division of container shipper Zim Integrated Shipping Services Ltd., were not disclosed but the company, which is a non-asset-based logistics company, did say it plans to fold Transclal and Newlog into its wholly owned subsidiary, UTi Eilat Overseas Ltd.

UTi currently operates in Israel, the West bank and Gaza through UTi Eilat and indirectly through Newlog, which serves as its agent for airfreight and ocean freight forwarding. Shares of UTI were up 42 cents $25.68 in early trading on the Nasdaq.